Mars 2020: Nasa's Next Mission To Mars

TL;DR

The Mars 2020 mission aims to search for evidence of life on Mars by collecting rock samples and returning them to Earth for testing.

Transcript

This is such an awesome experience To get up close and personal with the curiosity rover I mean, this isn't the exact one that's on Mars, obviously but it's basically identical VOICEOVER: I'm here at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California I don't know how we got in here, Bill. It's amazing. VOICEOVER: This is the NASA center that's famous f... Read More

Key Insights

• 🫢 The Viking One and Two landers in 1976 detected gases like radioactive Carbon Dioxide on Mars, leading to initial excitement about the possibility of life. However, subsequent experiments failed to replicate these positive results.
• 🧑‍🔬 Most scientists now believe there is no surviving life on the surface of Mars today.
• 👨‍🔬 Searching for life on Mars is challenging because scientists are not exactly sure what they are looking for and they have to rely on remote instruments.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why haven't we found life on Mars yet?

Finding life on Mars is challenging because we're not even sure what we're looking for. Life on Mars may have been completely different from life on Earth, and recent missions have mostly focused on looking for evidence of water, a key ingredient for life.

Q: How will the Mars 2020 mission search for signs of life?

The Mars 2020 rover will use cutting-edge technologies developed at the Jet Propulsion Lab to search for biosignatures in rocks. It will collect about 37 core samples the size of a chalk piece, which could potentially be returned to Earth for testing.

Q: What is Planetary Protection?

Planetary Protection is a principle that aims to prevent the introduction of Earth life to other planets. Spacecraft are sterilized to avoid contamination, and they are not allowed to land near sites with potential liquid water to protect Mars from contamination by organisms brought from Earth.

Q: How will Mars 2020 mission differ from previous missions?

The Mars 2020 mission is unique because it aims to bring rock samples back to Earth for testing, which has never been done before. This will allow scientists to use new techniques, some of which haven't even been invented yet, to search for evidence of life in the samples.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The Mars 2020 mission is the first NASA mission in 40 years designed specifically to search for life on another planet.

• Scientists believe that if there is life on Mars today, it is most likely underground, making it difficult to investigate with current rovers and landers.

• The 2020 rover will need cutting-edge technologies to search for biosignatures, patterns or substances in rocks that could only have been formed by life.